Hidden

These New Puritans | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 2, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Domino
• ASIN: B00335ZEB4
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111,037 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

As their name suggests, These New Puritans are a group on a very precise mission. Hailing from England s Southend-On-Sea, and consisting of Jack Barnett, his twin brother George, Thomas Hein and Sophie Sleigh-Johnson. They first came to prominence with their 2008 debut album, Beat Pyramid. Urgent, pared down, sharp as a stick, it was hailed by the NME as demonstrating a span of ideas and singularity of vision that simply shouldn t happen to 20 year olds. They ve created their own imperfect world. And so they did, but this was not a band that was spent after completing their first album but one who were only just beginning to unpack their ideas. The evidence of that is in the form of their new album, Hidden, a work so extraordinary in its range, ambition and clarity of purpose as to defy overall comparison with anything you have ever heard. It s an album which pulls together a host of unlikely influences the later, more developed work of Steve Reich, with whose interlocking rhythms Jack fell in love with, Britney Spears, Japanese percussion and, in particular, the great British composer Benjamin Britten. These New Puritans have constructed an imaginarium whose contents are of less importance than the way in which it has been assembled, the creative and unprecedented use of contrasting sound sources to create a massive burst of percussion with layers of sample sounding classical and chunks of contemporary polished pop pushed through an analog filter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maddening, mindboggling and absolutely brilliant., March 4, 2010

By 

M. Buisman (Amsterdam) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hidden (Audio CD)

These New Puritans first album "Beat Pyramid" was a fine record which I played quite a few times. With their second album "Hidden" they have gone far beyond their debut. Far beyond anything released this year in fact. It's not an easy album, in fact it is still driving me crazy while I write this. An moviescore opening followed by a collection of songs that all are related to war. This war is an all-encompassing war, a war of words, a war or worlds, an attack on the mind and this is the soundtrack. War has no logic, and "Hidden" has no logic. Beats that are like bombs, sometimes leveling an entire city, sometimes just severing a toe. Music that goes from attack music to classical interludes, or the crazy person in his own jazz world ("Hologram"), not knowing what is going on around him. It's a 21st century post-modern album for a 21st century post-modern war where you are not exactly sure who the enemy is, what the cause is and what you are fighting with. From bombs to swords to words, everything is used to the same effect. An album for lovers of classical music, 80's industrial rave and 90's hip-hop. Even Phillip Glass chord changes can be heard. "Hidden" is maddening, chaotic, mindboggling but absolutely brilliant album. This will definitely end up on a lot of end-of-the-year lists. (WideEyedExplorer)

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique, Innovative, and Completely Changed, January 18, 2012

By 

Nat - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hidden (Audio CD)

Having heard "Three Thousand" from the Assassin's Creed trailer, I was instantly curious to know more about These New Puritans. So, I looked into them, read that they were a punk rock band, and immediately thought I would get the album. What I didn't understand is that they had completely changed from their first album "Beat Pyramid." This album is full of unique sounds, innovative structures, and is completely different than their first album. The songs flow pretty well and many have a strong drum pattern, which is one of the main reasons I like them so much. If you enjoy an album that gets better and better with each listen, than this is one for you.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Unusual and Very Heavy!, January 25, 2011

By 

Paul K. Smith (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hidden (MP3 Download)

I discovered this CD on "Uncut" magazine's Best of 2010 sample CD. It's an amazing and unique mixture of post-punk, hip-hop, and avant garde jazz, with some influences from early Peter Gabriel solo CDs. If that sounds good to you, check it out!